Is the system regulating waste disposal for ships working fine or should it be updated? Is it ok for fishing vessels and small recreational boats to be exempt from certain rules on waste disposal in port?

Encouraged by the European Commission's strategy for growth and jobs in coastal and maritime tourism, the stakeholders representing cruise lines, ports and destinations of the Baltic are engaging to shape the future for cruise tourism in the Baltic sea basin. They are meeting today in the first Regional Dialogue for sustainable jobs and growth in the Baltic Sea basin.

Africa's seas and oceans can offer real prospects for youth employment, training, and sustainable livelihoods. But the sustainable development of Africa's "blue" ocean economy will depend on eradicating criminality at sea, ranging from piracy and illegal fishing to environmental violations. This was the message shared by Commissioner Karmenu Vella, representing the European Union at the African Union Maritime Security Summit in Lomé, Togo, last week.

This month the Commission adopted three Delegated Regulations establishing discard plans for certain demersal fisheries and one for pelagic fishery. Discard plans are a temporary measure facilitating the phase-out of discards and the phase-in of a new region-specific style of fisheries management.

The 23rd annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) met from 10 to 13 October 2016 in Kachsiung, Chinese Taipeh. The EU is pleased by the progress made and welcomes science-based decisions on the permitted catch levels for southern bluefin tuna for 2017 and for 2018-2020, as well as the strengthening of the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and the ban on large-scale driftnets. The EU regrets that seabird mitigation measures were not adopted due to a lack of sufficient support.

DG MARE and IOC UNESCO IOC are jointly organising the 2nd International Conference on Marine/Maritime Spatial Planning in March 2017 in Paris. Given the rising international interest in Maritime Spatial Planning, it is time to take stock of the latest developments and to discuss on how to achieve and accelerate successful MSP worldwide.